Looking for a weekend jaunt? Do D.C. in 48 hours

View full sizeThe Newseum in Washington, D.C., which opened near the National Mall in 2008, strives to offer an impartial view of how major events in U.S. and world history have been covered, and the often-tough choices that go along with reporting them.
Photo by James P. Blair

Here’s the scenario: six friends — all women of varying ages and lifestyles — ready for a little weekend getaway. This diverse group — some single, some married moms, some retired — are looking for interesting cultural experiences, some great dining and, of course, a little shopping as well, all without breaking the bank.

For our group of friends, only one city seemed to fit the bill: Washington, D.C.

The reasons for a weekend jaunt to our nation’s capital are plentiful, but there’s a major selling point that can’t be beat: aside from two major museums — the Newseum and the Spy Museum — the majority of the city’s museums are free, as part of the Smithsonian Museums network. With 19 Smithsonian museums and galleries to choose from (www.si.edu), there truly is something for everyone and most of these world-class collections are within walking distance from one another on the National Mall. The Mall, of course, is also home to many other free attractions: monuments like the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, and the Washington Monument (which remains closed following the 5.8 magnitude earthquake that damaged it in 2011).

View full sizeThe famed Georgetown Cupcake store, which opened in 2008, almost always has a waiting line snaking out the door. Photo by Nicole Pensiero

But, what could we manage to do and see in only 48 hours? Plenty, as it ends up and we were able to squeeze in everything we’d hoped for: sightseeing, fine dining, museum visiting and yes, shopping too.

We chose a hotel that we hoped would not only be comfortable and accommodating, but also that would enable us to relax and enjoy its facilities. We couldn’t have done better than with the downtown Embassy Suites (www.washingtondc.embassysuites.com), located near the tony neighborhood of DuPont Circle.

Arriving on a Friday afternoon, we were immediately struck by the welcoming and spacious lobby area, complete with koi pond, and two waterfalls. The massive hotel atrium proved visually stunning but also a great area to hang out during the daily (free!) cocktail party and included (free!) breakfast.

After settling in, we took a five-minute stroll to a nearby restaurant, Firefly, (www.firefly-dc.com), where we enjoyed a $22 three-course meal that included an appetizer (I especially loved the vegetarian smoked sun choke puree soup), an entrée and a beverage.

From there, we jumped on the city’s efficient, inexpensive Circulator bus (www.dccirculator.com), which zipped us down to nearby Georgetown for $1 each.

There, we strolled along the main drag, window shopping at stores that ranged from Anne Taylor Loft to Urban Outfitters. The highlight of that stop, I should mention, was at the famed Georgetown Cupcake store (www.georgetowncupcake.com), which opened in 2008, and which almost always has a waiting line snaking out the door. Sure, the cupcakes aren’t cheap — $2.75 for one — but, as we discovered later that evening, were a heavenly treat worth every penny.

While there are many monument tours to choose from in DC, there’s something special about visiting the monuments lit up at night. Over the years, I’ve become brand-loyal to On Board Tours (www.onboarddctours.com), which offers a terrific three-hour tour to all the major national monuments, including the World War II monument and the new Martin Luther King Memorial. This tour, which leaves from the Old Post Office Building at 7:30 p.m., is unique in that the guide gets on and off the bus with the visitors, is generally well-versed in all the attractions, and gives you enough time to actually walk around each site.

On day two — our only full day — we decided to set off early, after enjoying our included cooked-to-order breakfast at the hotel. A brief walk to the Metro and a few stops later, and we were at The Newseum (www.newseum.org), which opened near the National Mall in 2008. From the terrorist attacks of September 11 to the 1932 Lindbergh baby kidnapping to Unabomber Ted Kaczynski — whose creepy 10-by-12 foot cabin is on display — the Newseum strives to offer an impartial view of how major events in U.S. and world history have been covered, and the often-tough choices that go along with reporting them. The Newseum, which has seven levels of galleries and theaters, takes museum-goers behind the scenes to experience how and why news is made.

Visually dazzling, as well as educational, the Newseum offers everything from interactive activities for the kids to a 4-D movie to the actual transmission tower that topped one of the World Trade Center buildings. In mid-April, the Newseum unveils a new interactive exhibit about the Kennedy White House years. Between the permanent and changing exhibits, it’s easy to spend an entire day at the Newseum and not get bored. Fortunately, an admission ticket ($22 each for adults) is good for two-days, which helped us find time (following lunch at the Newseum’s Wolfgang Puck operated restaurant/cafeteria) to visit the nearby National Gallery, where we enjoyed an expansive, beautiful exhibit of English Pre-Raphaelite art from the 1800s (on display at the West Wing until mid-May). To go: www.nga.gov/exhibitions/preraphaelites.shtm for more information.

Day two wound down with another relaxing cocktail party at our hotel, some time in the Jacuzzi, and then a quick cab ride to DuPont Circle’s popular Sette Osteria Restaurant (www.setteosteria.com). This was our “big night out,” so we hoped for a delicious, relaxing meal. We turned to Trip Advisor (www.tripadvisor.com) for advice, which was confirmed by our hotel concierge; Sette Osteria, as we quickly learned, lived up to its reputation for delicious, reasonably priced Italian food. The joint was jumpin’ when we arrived for our 7:30 p.m. reservation — this is no walk-in-off-the-street place on Saturday nights. Noisy, yes, and incredibly crowded, it was also efficiently run with attentive, speedy service. Our meals — which ranged from penne all’arrabbiata to grilled filet of salmon (the best my friends had ever had, they said), were fantastic.

For our final morning, we decided to again take advantage of one of the city’s many free attractions, the National Zoo (www.nationalzoo.si.edu), which we would pass by on our drive out of town. We enjoyed a few hours there, visiting the Panda bears, cheetahs and oddly cute small mammals that abound.

While it became quickly obvious to us that D.C. is a city that could easily merit a four-day visit, we discovered that a 48-hour jaunt gives a visitor just enough time for a “city sampler.” During our three-hour drive home to New Jersey, we began pondering the things we’d like to see next time we visit this most interesting of American cities.